A IEEE802.15.4 network, such as a ZigBee® network, can be created to allow a utility corporation to determine usage for each building or residence in its domain, without requiring manual reading of utility meters as is typically done. These types of network is one of the standards defined by the ZigBee® alliance, and are often referred to a Smart Energy (SE) network. A different IEEE802.15.4 network, such as a second ZigBee® network, may be created to implement a home automation or home management system and may be responsible for monitoring utility consumption, such as electricity, fuel and water usage. This type of network is often referred to as a Home Automation (HA) network. In more complex environments, it may be beneficial to allow these two networks to exchange information. For example, the HA network may use information regarding current pricing of a particular utility to moderate the consumption of that utility. However, because of how the different standards have been defined, SE networks and HA networks are incompatible with one another. This incompatibility also exists between other types of ZigBee® networks as well.
Therefore, in order to use information from an SE network with a HA network, special adaptations may be required. One common technique is to design a module, which has two ZigBee® network devices, as shown in FIG. 1. One network device 20 is configured to operate on an SE network, while a second network device 30 is configured to operate on an HA network. A controller 10 is used to obtain information from one network and supply that information to the second network. The controller 10 may move data from the SE network to the HA network, or from the HA network to the SE network. This configuration is further complicated if interaction between more than two ZigBee® networks is desired.
While the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is operational, it is cumbersome, costly and complex. Therefore, it would be beneficial if there were a system and method to utilize a single network device on two different 802.15.4 networks.